§ foss forge 2.0 · the flagship
Our open source festival is back at USAR, GGSIPU, Delhi, inside Elysian. Not your usual hackathon: pick from a pool of real-world issues, compete with others on the same challenge, and ship a contribution that can actually be used.
Registration closes 18 Oct · part of Elysian, 6000+ people
21–22Oct
2026 · Wednesday and Thursday
USAR, GGSIPU, Delhi
Elysian, 6000+ people in total
--days--hours--mins--secs
§ 01 · what it is
the fest
Elysian is the techfest at USAR, and across its events it has drawn 6000+ people in total. FOSS Forge is the open source part of it: two days set aside for reading code, breaking it, fixing it and getting it merged, out in the open where everyone can see.
FOSS Forge 2.0
This is not a traditional hackathon. Instead of one problem statement for everyone, you get a pool of real-world challenges from open-source projects, non-profits, communities and technical partners. You choose what to solve, compete with others on similar challenges, and earn points, rewards and prizes for what you actually accomplish.
§ 02 · the format
A quiz to seed the leaderboard, an issue hunt to choose your challenge, and a finale where you build it. Every point lands on the same live leaderboard.
Every point counts
A fast-paced quiz on open source, Git, GitHub, programming, developer tools and technology. Every correct answer earns points, and your score sets your place on the first FOSS Forge leaderboard — which is not just bragging rights. Your rank gives you an advantage in the rounds that follow.
Choose your challenge
The issue board opens: a curated collection of real issues from open-source projects, non-profits and community-driven repositories — bugs, features, documentation, automation, frontend, backend, AI/ML and everything in between. There are no fixed tracks. Each issue is its own challenge. Read it, weigh its complexity, and decide which one is worth taking on.
Ship a real contribution
Now the real work begins, in coding contests hosted on Unstop. Dive into the repository, understand the codebase, reproduce the issue, design your solution, write the code, test it and prepare your contribution — a full open-source workflow of Git, GitHub, pull requests, testing, documentation and collaboration. You are not building a demo for the judges; you are building a contribution that can actually be used.
§ 03 · stages and timelines
Online Quiz Round
18 Oct, 9:00 – 9:15 PM IST
The Issue Hunt
19 Oct, 8:00 PM → 20 Oct, 9:30 PM IST
Forge the Fix
21 Oct, 8:30 AM → 22 Oct, 4:30 PM IST
key dates
Registration closes
1:30 AM IST
Online Quiz Round
9:00 PM IST
Issue Hunt opens
8:00 PM IST
Grand Finale
9:00 AM IST
who it is for
Open to all students.
The issues run from approachable to properly hard, so people at different levels can all find something to sink into. You do not need to be an expert — only up for it.
come with
§ 04 · backed by
FOSS Forge 2.0 is put on by students and held up by its backers — many of whom bring the very challenges teams take on. These are the ones on the board so far.
Want your logo on the board?
Every kind of support is welcome — tiers start at $150.
§ 05 · enter
Register your team.
Sign-ups are on Unstop. New to all this, or short a teammate? Join the community group too — we help people team up before the day, so nobody misses out.
questions
What is FOSS Forge 2.0?
A competitive open-source event run by UFC at USAR, GGSIPU East Delhi Campus. It is not a traditional hackathon: instead of one problem statement for everyone, you get a pool of real-world challenges from open-source projects, non-profits, communities and technical partners. You choose what to solve, compete with others on similar challenges, and earn points, rewards and prizes for what you accomplish.
How does it work?
Three stages. An Online Quiz Round on 18 Oct seeds the leaderboard and earns you an early advantage. The Issue Hunt opens the board of real issues to choose from. Then Forge the Fix, the finale on 21–22 Oct, is where you build and ship your contribution through a real Git and GitHub workflow.
What kind of challenges are there?
All sorts. Bugs, features, documentation, automation, frontend, backend and AI/ML — with no fixed tracks. Some ask you to build a tool a non-profit actually needs; others might be a CTF or a bug bounty. You pick what fits you.
Who can take part, and what does it cost?
Any student. It is free — FOSS Forge runs inside Elysian, the USAR techfest. Team size and the fine print are on the Unstop registration linked below, and registration closes on 18 Oct.
Do I need to be good at Git already?
No. If you have opened a pull request before you will feel at home, but the range of issues means there is something for beginners too. Bring a GitHub account and we will help with the rest.
What if I do not have a team?
Come anyway and join the community group below. We help people team up before the day, so nobody is left out for want of one more.
or just ask a person
point of contact
Vikram Aditya Verma
point of contact
Sujal Maity
point of contact
Siddharth Bansal
